Discovering Other Worlds

The IPPW conference will include a public lecture by Robert Manning of the Mars Science Laboratory at 5 p.m. June 18 in the Tech Museum. He will discuss the successful landing of the Curiosity rover, shown here in a self-portrait (NASA image).

SAN JOSE, CA – One of humankind’s most challenging ventures, sending space vehicles to other worlds, will draw 150 international experts to San Jose State University June 17-21 for the 10th International Planetary Probe Workshop. The event is co-hosted by SJSU and the NASA Ames Research Center. The conference is open to members of the media. Reporters should contact SJSU to RSVP.

“This workshop encourages international cooperation in planetary probe missions, new technologies, and scientific discoveries,” said SJSU Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Periklis Papalopoulos. “In addition, students from around the world will present their work and interact with the leaders in their discipline areas.”

Highlights will include the presentation of the Al Seiff Memorial Award to James O. Arnold. Arnold and Seiff were contemporaries, building careers around President Kennedy’s push to put a man on the moon. Both men played key roles in determining the aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics of the Apollo re-entry vehicle and other NASA space exploration missions.

This year’s keynote speaker is David Korsmeyer, director of engineering at Ames, who will discuss the past, present and future of planetary research at Ames.

Giant planets, airless bodies

The workshop also will include tours and sessions on many topics, such as missions to the “giant planets” (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune); missions to Mars; and key enabling technologies and instrumentation for missions to “airless bodies” (asteroids, comets and moons).

In addition, Ames will feature an exhibit at The Tech Museum of Innovation, featuring artifacts and models of current and previous spacecraft missions. The showcase of memorabilia will be on display June 20 – July 31.

The public is invited to view a full-size mockup of the Galileo probe (which entered Jupiter’s atmosphere in 1995), test models from Ames’ Arc-Jet and Hypervelocity Free-Flight Facility and models of future satellites.

Mission to Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory Project Chief Engineer Robert Manning also will be present to discuss the successful landing of Curiosity Rover on Mars. Manning will speak at 5 p.m. June 18 at the Tech. His talk is entitled “The Challenges of Going to Mars: Mars Science Laboratory” and is open to the public.

Manning was responsible for ensuring that the design, the test program and the team would collaborate to result in a successful mission.

Sponsors include SJSU, NASA, the European Space Agency, the National Center for Advanced Small Spacecraft Technologies, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Idaho, Analytical Graphics Inc., Earthrise Space Inc. and Science and Technology Corp.